Saturday, September 06, 2008

When Shelley Long was a struggling actress in Chicago she got a job being the spokesperson for Homemaker's Furniture. And here's the neat thing. Even when she became a big star on CHEERS she still went back and did their local spots. That loyalty and kindness is who Shelley is... along with being amazingly talented.

See, now I've heard the exact opposite about Long. I've heard she's a pain-in-the-ass to work with (I remember that was the rap on her when she was on Cheers and tat nobody liked her), that she thought TV was beneath her, and that she was "difficult," which cost her jobs, etc. I guess everybody has their perspective, depending on which side of the bar they sit at.

I'm glad to hear that Shelley is a wonderful person, as well as a great actress. I'd heard or read or something that she was difficult to work with on the set of Cheers, but I've also seen Ted Danson talking about Shelley with great respect. He attributes the success of Cheers to her talents.

Cheers was never the same without her... though still quite entertaining.

Ha! My father directed those commercials! I'm pleased to see that they've been preserved somehow. He was always happy to work with her during her years as a Chicago actress, and was delighted to see her break through on Cheers, feeling that "one of his people" had made it nationally.

Being Chicago in the 70's, it's likely Shelley sold the mattresses that got quite the workout by the folks on SWINGTOWN.

Around my neck of the woods (Boston/Providence) the furniture store owners have been doing their own spots for decades, becoming local pop culture icons.Brothers Barry and Elliot are the gold standard (although Barry has been going it alone since Elliot left the business and moved to Florida to become a movie producer, He can afford to...they made a fortune when Warren Buffet and his Berkshire Hathaway combine bought controlling interest in the company).

Next come the husband and wife team of Bernie and Phyl (who are stepping away and letting their sons become the public face of the enterprise).

Then, there are the trio of brothers, Nick, Ron and Pete, who go by the collective name of "Ni-Ro-Pe" (after decades in the Providence area, they have opened their first Boston store. Their ads are the wildest of them all--they've even turned themselves into characters right out of SOUTH PARK).

Finally, there is Bob (who portrays himself as the pugnacious underdog battling the big boys).

Interesting to see she isn't Diane Chambers at all in those commercials, that's why they call it acting. Ted Danson was similar. You watch him in Body Heat as the assistant District Attorney Lowenstein, and he has nothing in common with Sam Malone.

About KEN LEVINE

Named one of the BEST 25 BLOGS OF 2011 by TIME Magazine. Ken Levine is an Emmy winning writer/director/producer/major league baseball announcer. In a career that has spanned over 30 years Ken has worked on MASH, CHEERS, FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS, WINGS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, BECKER, DHARMA & GREG, and has co-created his own series including ALMOST PERFECT starring Nancy Travis. He and his partner wrote the feature VOLUNTEERS. Ken has also been the radio/TV play-by-play voice of the Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres. and has hosted Dodger Talk on the Dodger Radio Network.

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